Vancouver council to vote on going fossil fuel-free

Vancouver councillors will vote this week on whether to adopt an ambitious plan to quit fossil fuels by mid-century.

The Renewable City Strategy will commit the West Coast city to derive 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources before 2050. It will also commit Vancouver to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 80 per cent below 2007 levels in the same timeframe.

“It’s an ambitious but achievable plan certainly,” says Malcolm Shield, the city’s climate policy manager.

“It really positions Vancouver to be up there amongst the world leaders in terms of preparing us for a future where not only is the climate changing but our energy systems are changing, as well.”

Currently Vancouver has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per person in North America, Shield says. Vancouver is already the Canadian leader on climate policy and among the world’s, he says.

“So we already have a very clean energy system but it’s about taking that next step so that we really are starting to compete with world leaders like Stockholm and Copenhagen.”

Vancouver city council adopted a Greenest City Action Plan in 2011 and a Healthy City Strategy a year ago that includes emissions reductions.

The city already has a bylaw prohibiting the shipping and handling of coal from marine facilities and a Zero Emission Building Strategy is expected to be brought to council next year.

Last month, the municipal economic commission launched a climate pledge, where hundreds of businesses have already signed on to voice support for stronger action on climate change from governments around the world.

Mayor to attend Paris talks

More than 190 nations, including Canada led by incoming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a delegation of premiers and other leaders, will gather in Paris later this month for the UN Climate Change conference with the aim of agreeing on a legally binding agreement on emissions reductions that would — hopefully — keep global warming below 2 C.

Mayor Gregor Robertson will be attending the Paris talks where he will champion Vancouver’s “greenest city” action plan.

Robertson, a vocal critic of the federal government’s lack of climate change action, has travelled the world to talk about his city’s green initiatives. He was the only Canadian municipal leader among a group to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican last summer to talk about climate change.

The Renewable City Strategy to be presented to council on Tuesday and voted on Wednesday says Vancouver must prepare for a “carbon constrained world.”

“It’s hard to imagine a city without fossil fuels given how pervasive they are in our daily lives, whether for mowing the lawn, heating our homes, or powering our vehicles,” acting city manager Sadhu Johnston, says in the report.

“We generally take these fuels for granted, and too easily overlook the problems that they create in our local community or in the world.”

Based on consultations with residents, businesses, academics and experts from around the world, Johnston “enthusiastically” supports the recommendations in the report.

Last year, 31 per cent of the city’s energy came from renewable sources, mostly clean electricity. Another 45 per cent came from natural gas and 24 per cent from gasoline for personal vehicle use.

Weaning Vancouver off of fossil fuels will involve three key priorities, according to the strategy: Reducing energy use; increasing the use of renewable energy; and increasing the supply of renewable energy.

It’s a “visionary” plan, Shield says, and one that will have economic benefits for Vancouver, as well. The energy systems are changing in addition to the climate, he points out.

“It’s about being pragmatic and responsible in response to that,” he says.

Of course, it’s not something Vancouver city council can achieve alone, he admits.

A municipal government has some jurisdiction over relevant policies, such as the building code, public transport, the ability to set up energy utilities and community planning.

But the regional, provincial and federal governments, the provincial Crown utility and even residents also have a role to play.

“It would be naïve to say we could achieve this alone,” Shield says. “We can’t be a unilateral island that acts on this.

“We have some big levers that we can pull but certainly we can’t achieve all of them and we do need to work with the other levels of government to be successful.”

If passed, city staff will develop a plan to move forward, including monitoring and reporting mechanisms and interim goals and targets.